Lights, please: Emmet Otter is the protagonist of Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. Emmet has been raised by his mother, Alice Otter, ever since his Pa passed away. He does odd jobs for money using Pa Otter's old tool box - including mending Old Lady Possum's fence and Sam Turtle's stairs.Emmet would love to own that guitar with the mother of pearl inlays he saw at The Music Store in Waterville. However nothing would make him happier than to buy his Ma a decent Christmas present, something he was never able to give his Pa.

Emmet enjoys singing, and he plays the washtub bass as a member of the Frogtown Jubilee Jug Band. After participating in the annual Waterville talent contest, the Band (along with Alice Otter) were hired by Doc Bullfrog for a permanent gig singing and playing at the Riverside Rest.

Lights, please: The tradition of Der Belsnickel was brought to America by German immigrants and was soon adopted by other settlers.Belsnickel - roughly translated as Niklos in furs - was often an uncle or cousin who wore a disguise, often including a mask, and went from farmhouse to farmhouse on Christmas Eve, rewarding good children and punishing those who had misbehaved, said Butch Reigart, of Columbia, Lancaster County.

"He looked scary and carried a sack of presents, mostly nuts and hard candy, and a stick or a cane. He came when it was dark, before the children went to bed, and would rap on the window or the door with his stick," Reigart said. "He would ask to see the children, and ask them if they had been good. He tossed nuts and candy on the floor, and when the children scrambled to get them he would switch them a little with his stick, admonishing them to be good."

Children would recite a Christmas poem or sing a song. The tradition spread to villages, where often groups of young people wearing masks went from house to house, playing instruments and singing, expecting treats and coins in return.

"There were rough young fellows who went out on New Year's Eve, carrying shotguns. They knocked on peoples' doors to wish them good will to the family and fire off their shotguns to wish everyone a happy new year," Reigart said.

The December 23, 1823, edition of the York Gazette warned belsnickels to "keep within the limits of the Hall."

"Salute This Happy Morn : A History of the Glen Rock Carol Singers," by Charles H. Glatfelter, refers to Christmas Eve, 1893, when "a group of young pretenders, perhaps belsnickels with ambition, preceded the genuine carolers through parts of town offering a concert of their own."

In its December 29 edition, The Item, the local newspaper, called it a "considerable annoyance," adding that it "should not again be permitted."

Some people also remember their parents and grandparents referring to Halloween trick-or-treaters as belsnickelers.

The tradition of der Belsnickel began to fade in the 1920s, and eventually died out - in part because of what Reigart calls "the popular Coca Cola Santa."

Sure, I can tell you all about The Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future

Lights, please: The Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future is a crazy robot who claims that he is the Ghost of Christmas Past. He first shows up in Carl's house (in February) and tells Carl "what Christmas was like" when Carl was eight, in which he was made to eat carpet by his father and his house was destroyed by robots and lasers (Carl remembers eating carpet, but not the robots and lasers). He then proceeds to fill Carl's pool with elf blood as a plot device to tell the Aqua Teens and Carl about the original Santa Claus, an ape named "Sir Santa of Claws", and elves from Mars. He has a penchant for telling drawn-out stories such as this with absolutely no factual basis or consistency. He says that the only way for Carl to get rid of the blood is for Carl to have sex with the Great Red Ape in Space. Carl eventually gets rid of him by selling his house to Glenn Danzig, who buys the house specifically for the blood, and whom the Ghost can't stand.

He may be related to Turkatron, who once claimed to be the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future but was later discovered to be a defective toy from the present. Still, the Cybernetic Ghost and Turkatron have the same voice and same penchant for telling convoluted stories. He says he has something to do with Sigourney Weaver and that he survived the "Quickening of the Dragonoids". He is one of only seven members of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday... who survive "The Last One", along with Ignignokt, Err, the Rabbot, Mothmonsterman and Major Shake.

He also appears in Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters which revealed that he was created by Dr. Weird. The film also revealed that he doesn't know anything about the past and future, and insteads randomly strings words together. In the film he falls in love with Oglethorpe, and they often kiss each other.

My daughters, who have grown up in Lancaster county, were taught about Pennsylvania Dutch traditions as part of their elementary school education. According to Amy, der Belsnickle was usually an uncle or some male relative in the family. He'd come up to the house and throw all of the treats in the window, and then the parents would let him in so he could beat the children with sticks and tell them to be grateful for what they have and for their parents. Then he'd park himself in a chair and listen to the kids sing a song or recite a poem, while the parents brought him booze.

Lights, please: We're No Angels is a 1955 Christmas comedy picture starring Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, Aldo Ray, Joan Bennett, Basil Rathbone, and Leo G. Carroll. It was directed by Michael Curtiz, who had directed Bogart in Casablanca, when both were under contract to Warner Brothers. It is one of the rare comedies that Bogart made. Paramount filmed the production at its Hollywood studios in VistaVision and Technicolor. It was based upon My Three Angels, written by Samuel and Bella Spewack. The screenplay was written by Ranald MacDougall. Mary Grant designed the film's costumes.

Three convicts - Joseph, Albert and Jules - escape from prison on Devil's Island just before Christmas and arrive at a nearby French colonial town. They go to the store of the Ducotels - Felix and Amelie, and their daughter Isabelle - the only store that gives supplies on credit. While there, they notice that his roof is leaking, and offer to fix it. They do not actually intend to fix it, but decide to remain there, until nightfall, when they will steal clothes and supplies, and escape on the ship waiting in the harbour. As they stay in the store, they find that the family is currently in financial distress and offer their services to hide their all-too-sinister ruse. Joseph even gets to work conning people and falsifying records to make the store prosperous. However, the three felons begin to have a change of heart after they fix a delicious Christmas dinner for the family: mostly made of stolen items.

Andre Trochard, who owns the store but lives in Paris, arrives on the island with his nephew Paul, with whom Isabelle is infatuated. The two plan on taking control of the store due to a lack of profit from the use of credit. Also, Paul is betrothed to another woman, which dismays Isabelle. Before any action against the Ducotels is taken, both of the men are bitten by Albert's pet viper, Adolphe, and they die nearly instantly. Isabelle finds another love, and the family is happy as the convicts successfully make their final escape. While waiting on the docks for their boat to arrive, the three escaped men finally decide to turn themselves back in at the prison, judging that the outside world was likely to be worse than that of the prison. As they walk away in the final shot, angelic halos appear over each of their heads...and finally another pops up over the cage of Adolphe.

Lights, please: White Christmas is a 1954 Technicolor musical film starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye that features the songs of Irving Berlin, including the titular "White Christmas". The film was directed by Michael Curtiz and co-stars Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen.

The film is notable as being the first to be produced and released in VistaVision, a wide-screen process that entailed using twice the surface area of standard 35mm film. This large-area negative was used to yield finer-grained standard-sized 35 mm film prints.The story is about two World War II U.S. Army buddies, one a former Broadway entertainer, Bob Wallace (Crosby), the other a would-be entertainer, Phil Davis (Kaye). It begins on Christmas Eve, 1944, somewhere in Europe. In a forward area, Captain Wallace is giving a show to the troops of the 151st Division with the help of Private Davis ("White Christmas"). Major General Thomas F. Waverly (Dean Jagger) arrives for the end of the show and has a field inspection prior to being relieved of command of the 151st by Brigadier General Harold G. Coughlan (Gavin Gordon). The men give him a rousing send-off ("The Old Man"). During an enemy artillery barrage, Davis saves Wallace's life by pushing him out of the way of a toppling wall, wounding his own arm slightly in the process. Using his "wounded" arm and telling Bob he doesn't expect any "special obligation", Phil convinces Bob to join forces as an entertainment duo when the war is over. Phil using his wound to get Bob to do what he wants becomes a running gag throughout the movie.

After the war, the pair make it big in nightclubs, radio, and then on Broadway. They become the hottest act around and eventually become producers. They subsequently have a big hit with their New York musical, Playing Around. In mid-December, after 2 years on Broadway, the show is in Florida. While at the Florida Theatre, they receive a letter from "Freckle-Faced Haynes, the dog-faced boy", a mess sergeant they knew in the war, asking them to audition his two sisters. When they go to the club to audition the act ("Sisters"), Betty (Rosemary Clooney) reveals that her sister, Judy (Vera-Ellen), sent the letter. Phil and Judy leave the table to dance ("The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing") so that Bob and Betty can get to know each other, though there is also an attraction between them. Bob and Phil help Betty and Judy escape their landlord and the local sheriff (the landlord claimed that the sisters had burned a $200 rug). The boys perform the girls' signature song "Sisters" from a record as the girls escape to the train. Phil gives Betty and Judy the train tickets that he and Bob were intending to use. When Bob and Phil arrive on the train, they have no tickets. Using "his arm" again, Phil gets Bob to agree to travel with the girls to Vermont for the holidays ("Snow"). They discover that the Columbia Inn in Pine Tree, Vermont, is run by their former commanding officer, Major General Tom Waverly, and it's about to go bankrupt because of the lack of snow and consequent lack of patrons. The general has invested all his savings and pension into the lodge.Deciding to help out and bring business to the inn, Wallace and Davis bring Playing Around with their entire Broadway cast up and add Betty and Judy where they can. Bob discovers the General's rejected attempt at rejoining the army, and decides to prove to the General that he isn't forgotten.

Bob calls Ed Harrison (Johnny Grant), an old army friend, now host of a successful variety show (intentionally similar to Ed Sullivan's). When Bob wants to make a pitch on the show to all the men under the command of the General in the war, Harrison suggests they go all out and put the show on television, playing up the "schmaltz" factor of the General's situation and generating lots of free advertising for Wallace and Davis. Overhearing only this, the housekeeper, Emma Allen (Mary Wickes), tells Betty. Bob tells Ed that isn't the idea and that he only wishes to make a pitch to get as many people from their division to Pine Tree for the show on Christmas Eve. The misunderstanding causes Betty to leave for a job at the Carousel Club in New York, after Phil and Judy fake their engagement in the hope of bringing Betty and Bob closer together.

On the Ed Harrison Show, Bob asks all the veterans of the 151st Division to come to Pine Tree, Vermont on Christmas Eve ("What Can You Do With A General").All is set right when Betty sees Bob's pitch on the Ed Harrison show. She returns to Pine Tree just in time for the show on Christmas Eve. Believing all of his suits had been sent to the cleaners, General Waverly concludes that he'll have to appear in his old uniform. When the General enters the lodge where the show is to take place, he is greeted by his former division to a rousing chorus of "The Old Man", and moments later is notified that snow is falling.In a memorable finale, Bob and Betty declare their love, as do Phil and Judy. The background of the set is removed to show the snow falling in Pine Tree. Everyone raises a glass, toasting, "May your days be merry and bright; and may all your Christmases be white."

Lights, please: The Tick Loves Santa! is one of the best Tick episodes of all time; 5 stars! What? When I'm not writing about mythological archetypes and folkloric festivals, I like to watch a grown man run around dressed like a blue arachnid, what of it? But I digress, the show starts with The Tick and Arthur walking home after doing some Christmas shopping, when they run into Santa! Of course, it isn't the real Santa; it is a bank robber who stole a Santa suit to elude the cops.

The police chase Santa and The Tick follows along to save him; but Santa falls into a neon sign and is fried. Tick believes that they killed the real Santa, and destroyed Christmas forever, but for some reason, instead of killing him the electricity causes clones of the Santa to appear, and Multiple Santa is born! Multiple Santa goes on a crime spree and even beats up the heroes of the city, and The Tick is powerless to resist because "I can't hit Santa!"

Eventually, Multiple Santa makes his way to the Hydroelectric plant at the city dam to make more clones, and The Tick and Arthur have a visitor; the real Santa! Santa and his Little Secret Service recruit the boys to save Christmas, and off they go! Fortunately, in the final confrontation, Tick finds the Santas weakness, static electricity, and Christmas is saved!